North West Federation of Croquet Clubs - for everything Croquet in the north west
New Web Photographer Discovered?
Remember the photography competition held cat the recent Festival of Croquet? We now have a winner:
First Prize:
Liz Wilson for picture entitled Advanced Dressing –
Liz also won second prize for her study of Baffled Bury –
Congratulations to Liz who gets the prize of her choice of something nice and expensive to drink!
Well done Liz.
Well that’s its posh name, we call it our Festival of Croquet as it is an event designed to bring players in the North West together to celebrate Croquet in each of its disciplines, at the Southport & Birkdale Club. This year, in what we believe to be the Festival’s nineteenth year, the Isle of Man returned after an absence of far too long and we also welcomed, for the first time, Ellesmere.
Each of the four disciplines was managed by an ‘Event Manager’, the key job in the running of the tournament. Brian Lewis (his name will appear later on as well) ensured that the ‘Short’ players knew what they were doing and collected all of the 90 results – no mean feat – but dwarfed by the size of the task given to Sue Hardman who had to deal with 27 Golf players (plus substitutes) of 108 games which were not scheduled in ‘blocks’ but more of a conveyor belt. Sue made it look easy – excellent! The Advanced was managed by Liz Wilson who dealt with all of the issues arising in this, largely A Class group. Keith Roberts, the Championship Manager, also got away with running the Handicap competition!
The Advanced Championship Shield was won by Crake Valley who won 4 of 6. Runner-up was Bowdon who also won 4 games but were beaten by the Champions. 15 games of Doubles were played producing two Triple Peels both by Colin Irwin … one on the South Lawns and one on the North!
The Handicap Championship Shield went to Southport. The 28 matches were played as a Singles and a Doubles (56 games), and Southport was only beaten in 3 of their 14 games. Runner up was Chester with 9/14.
The Short Croquet Champions, Bury, won 16 of their games but, importantly, 7 of 10 matches as Runner up Southport won 19 games but were only winners of 6 matches. In total there were 90 games played.The Golf Croquet Championship Shield was won narrowly by Bury who were winners in 6 of their 8 matches. Southport and Culcheth also managed a 75% success but the Shield went to Bury as its team beat both. 108 games were played!
The big shield, for the 2013 North West Club Champions, went to Southport with 25 of a possible 29 championship points. Second was Bury (18) and there was a three way tie for third involving Westmorland, Bowdon and Fylde, each with 13 points.
Full Results follow these notes!
That’s 269 games played on 9 full and 7-half lawns (12½ fle) in two days with a minimum of 81 participants in all matches requiring 28 sets of balls/clips etc. and 16 sets of hoops. The World’s biggest single venue Croquet Event? Maybe?
All of which brings us back to Brian Lewis, Chairman of the Southport Club, Team Leader, Event Manager and general factotum. Brian, together with the Committee and Members of Southport and Birkdale, was responsible for the organisation and the facilities which enabled the Championship to be the huge success that most agree it was.
Tournament Referee Peter Wilson said he had very little to do and the writer was only called to look at two potential wiring lifts in Short games.
Liz Wilson, the Federation Chairman, commented on the markedly improved quality of Southport’s North Lawns and noted that it was really appreciated by everybody. The hard work and investment by Southport together with the support and commitment of the Federation will ensure that the festival continues for many years to come.
Liz also praised the lunch and tea-time catering provided by Margaret Flemington and her team of helpers … and quite rightly too, it was excellent!
Oh, and the weather was quite decent.
“ … a most enjoyable couple of days” said one Club Captain.
Gallery – below is a random arrangement of images – click on any image to go to slideshow format:
| Advanced | Handicap | Short | Golf | POINTS WON | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southport | 4 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 1 |
| Bury | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 2 |
| Bowdon | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 3 |
| Fylde | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 3 |
| Westmorland | - | 6 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
| Chester | - | 7 | - | 4 | 11 | 6 |
| Pendle | 3 | 3 | - | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| Crake | 6 | - | 3 | - | 9 | 8 |
| Culcheth | - | - | - | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Isle of Man | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | 10 |
| Ellesmere | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Bow | Bury | Crak | Fyl | Pen | Sou | WINS | POINTS | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crake | W | L | - | W | W | W | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Bowdon | - | W | L | W | W | W | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Southport | L | W | L | L | W | - | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Pendle | L | W | L | W | - | L | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Bury | L | - | W | W | L | L | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Fylde | L | L | L | - | L | W | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Bowdon | Bury | Chester | Culcheth | Ellesmere | Fylde | Pendle | Southport | Westmorland | MATCHES WON | PLACE | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowdon | xxx | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| Bury | 2-1 | xxx | 2-1 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| Chester | 2-1 | 1-2 | xxx | 1-2 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Culcheth | 2-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | xxx | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Ellesmere | 0-3 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | xxx | 0-3 | 2-1 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Fylde | 2-1 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 3-0 | xxx | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Pendle | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-1 | xxx | 3-0 | 1-2 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Southport | 2-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 0-3 | xxx | 2-1 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Westmorland | 2-1 | 2-1 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1-2 | xxx | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Bowdon | Bury | Crake | Fylde | Southport | Westmorland | MATCHES WON | POINTS | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bury | 2-1 & 1-2 | xxx | 2-1 & 2-1 | 0-3 & 2-1 | 2-1 & 1-2 | 2-1 & 2-1 | 7 (16) | 6 | 1 |
| Southport | 1-2 & 2-1 | 1-2 & 2-1 | 1-2 & 3-0 | 1-2 & 3-0 | xxx | 2-1 & 3-0 | 6 (19) | 5 | 2 |
| Fylde | 2-1 & 3-0 | 3-0 & 1-2 | 1-2 & 2-1 | xxx | 2-1 & 3-0 | 2-1 & 1-2 | 6 (17) | 4 | 3 |
| Crake | 2-1 & 2-1 | 1-2 & 1-2 | xxx | 2-1 & 1-2 | 2-1 & 3-0 | 0-3 & 0-3 | 4 (11) | 3 | 4 |
| Bowdon | xxx | 1-2 & 2-1 | 1-2 & 1-2 | 1-2 & 0-3 | 2-1 & 1-2 | 2-1 & 3-0 | 4 (14) | 2 | 5 |
| Westmorland | 1-2 & 0-3 | 1-2 & 1-2 | 3-0 & 3-0 | 1-2 & 2-1 | 1-2 & 3-0 | xxx | 3 (13) | 1 | 6 |
| Bow S D | Bury S D | Ches S D | Fyl S D | IoM S D | Pen S D | Sou S D | Wes S D | GAMES WON | POINTS | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southport | W W | W W | W L | L W | W W | W W | xxx | L W | 11 | 8 | 1 |
| Chester | L W | W W | xxx | L W | W L | W L | L W | W W | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| Westmorland | W L | W L | L L | W W | W L | W W | W L | xxx | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Fylde | W W | W L | W L | xxx | W L | W L | W L | L L | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Bowdon | xxx | W W | W L | L L | W W | L W | L L | L W | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Pendle | W L | L W | L W | W L | W L | xxx | L L | L L | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Isle of Man | L L | W L | L W | L W | xxx | L W | L L | L W | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Bury | L L | xxx | L L | L W | L W | W L | L L | L W | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Pendle Win 2012 Federation Jubilee Festival of Croquet
| SHORT | GOLF | HCP | ADV | Pts | Place | |
| Bowdon | 5 | ----- | 2 | ----- | 7 | 8 |
| Bury | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 |
| Chester | 4 | 4 | 4 | ----- | 12 | 3 |
| Culcheth | ----- | 2 | ----- | ----- | 2 | 9 |
| Fylde | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 3 = |
| Llanfairfechan | 7 | 5 | ----- | ----- | 12 | 3 = |
| Pendle | 6 | 8 | ----- | ----- | 14 | 1 |
| Southport | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 |
| Westmorland | ----- | 7 | 6 | ----- | 13 | 2 |
N.W. Fed. Festival of Croquet 2012
The teams they came from Timbuktu,
All decked in colours, red and blue.
The challenge rang the North West through,
For Southport’s croquet lawns.
Frantic members measured lines,
Laid the hoops twice, fifteen times,
Spread tea and buffet super fine,
For Southport’s croquet lawns.
Gazebos raised defied the rain.
And sure enough the rain it came.
But wind and hail don’t stop the game
On Southport’s croquet lawns.
Black clouds thundered overhead
And to the clubhouse spectators sped,
But on they played the North West Fed
On Southport’s croquet lawns.
Four events, twenty seven teams,
Hundred plus players walked the greens,
Made a real inspiring scene
On Southport’s croquet lawns.
Brave at golf Rod Sutton played,
Newly joined, but not afraid,
To join in matches here assayed
On Southport’s croquet lawns.
Our Advanced team scooped up second place,
The Golf team’s third did not disgrace,
But trophies eluded every chase
On Southport’s croquet lawns.
The Advanced was won by Fylde I reckon
The Short went west with Llanfairfechan
Westmorland’s Handicap won collection,
From Southport’s croquet lawns.
But Golf gave Pendle pride of place,
The sun shone to light the winners’ face.
Best in the North West is no disgrace
On Southport’s croquet lawns.
The hoards of players dissolved away
Reflecting on friends they made at play
But will return another day
To Southport’s croquet lawns.
By Kath Thomas, SBCC, 2nd July 2012
Gallery – press any image to start slideshow: